


Looking To The Future

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-27
Updated: 2010-01-27
Packaged: 2019-05-30 10:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: A follow on story to "Wrapped Up'. Josh and Donna go star gazing.





	Looking To The Future

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Title: Looking to the Future

Timeline: S5

A/N: A few people requested a sequel to my previous story "Wrapped  
Up"! This is what I've come up with. Thanks for the suggestion  
of using the "The Warfare of Genghis Khan" for inspiration. It  
probably helps to have read "Wrapped Up" first.

A/N: re reading this, it is heavy on the saccharine! Read at your own peril…

 

Feedback: Yes please!! It's motivational! To be honest, this story  
only came about because of encouraging feedback

Disclaimers: Characters etc belong to Sorkin and Wells but we're  
looking after them very well! The really, really good dialogue you  
recognise? Not mine…

Ok, I'm done!

 

It was rare for Donna to flash her claws but she couldn't help it.  
She was jealous. She struggled to hide it but she couldn't. After  
all the spoken and unspoken moments she and Josh had shared at  
Christmas, he had suddenly become enamoured with Alex, the woman from  
NASA who had been a part of a delegation to the White House he had met  
with that morning. She says, "Come star gazing with me" and off  
he trots! Donna was fuming!

She couldn't help but bait him." Would you be going if she  
weren't attractive?"

"We'll never know," came the infuriating reply.

Donna left work early so she wouldn't have to be confronted by Josh  
bouncing around in anticipation of his "date" with Alex. Of  
course he wasn't calling it that. In fact he wasn't doing  
anything to make her think he viewed Alex as a potential romantic  
liaison. He'd muttered something about needing to feed his soul but  
that was it. Donna was the one who was twisting this into something  
else. She went home, poured herself a glass of wine and wallowed in  
self–pity for most of the night.

 

"He makes promises about us being together one day. Hmph! NASA chick  
flirts with him and next thing you know…"

 

"All those beautiful quotes he found for me.Meaningless! Hmph!

 

"Humouring me, indulging me, giving me hope. Hmph!

 

"Snap out of it" she told herself. He'd made it clear they  
couldn't give into the feelings they shared therefore, in reality he  
owed her nothing. He was a free agent. But logic was not winning the  
battle in her head and heart. She curled up in bed that night, berating  
herself for being so weak. But that didn't stop her dreaming of a  
man with warm brown eyes, head resting on the pillow next to her,  
whispering words she could only imagine.

 

Things were busy the next day. Something seemed to be going on in the  
Situation Room that created a tense atmosphere. Josh had been in his  
office most of the day pouring through astronomy books. He'd been  
fairly non-committal about his activities the night before which Donna  
found annoying. She was leaning in the doorway, trying to read him when  
she heard him bellow her name.

 

"Donna!"

"Yes?" She answered quietly.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough."

Josh frowned. Her tone disconcerted him "Uh ...I need ... a, uh,  
breakdown of NASA funding as a percentage of discretionary spending in  
five year increments, starting in 1969." He paused. "You want to  
hear something cool?"

"Mmm?" was the only response.

"Voyager I just crossed the termination shock, eight billion miles  
away. The first human made object to leave the solar system."

"Funny, I'm going through a little termination shock myself."  
Donna's mild response got his attention.

"What?" Josh queried.

 

She tried not to sound snippy. "Suddenly this consuming interest in  
space, just because some NASA administrator batted eyes at you?"

Josh's voice softened and he smirked "You hate that I'm  
interested in this."

She started to leave as she said, "What was your first hint?"

 

He'd never seen her jealous before and to be honest, he found it a  
bit of a turn on! He knew he needed to do something to ease her mind but  
he wasn't exactly sure what. Josh could feel the antagonism  
radiating off her. "That's perfect. Sit down. Sit. I-I need to play  
out an argument. Everyone hates us."

"Inspiring start." She was trying to sound disinterested.

 

"We're the most dominant nation on Earth, but too often the face of  
our economic superiority is a corporate imperialism -- our technological  
dominance, shown by smart bombs and predator drones. We could do  
something else. Something generous and uplifting for all humankind. We  
could send the first representatives from Earth to walk on another  
planet. We could ... land people on Mars. He paused, not entirely happy  
with his thoughts "Needs work".

 

"Needs something", she agreed.

He gathered his thoughts and ploughed on "Yeah ... that inspiration  
thing. Uh, Voyager, in case it's ever encountered by extra-terrestrials,  
is carrying photos of life on Earth, greetings in 55 languages and a  
collection of music from Gregorian chants to Chuck Berry ... including  
"Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" by Twenties bluesman Blind  
Willie Johnson, whose stepmother blinded him at seven by throwing lye in  
his eyes after his father beat her for being with another man. He died,  
penniless, of pneumonia after sleeping bundled in wet newspapers in the  
ruins of his house that burned down, but his music just left the solar  
system."

 

Donna got up to leave but smiled at him on the way out "Okay ...  
that got me." He often boasted of his verbal skills and this was one  
of the rare times she was on the receiving end. It was amazing. He  
totally drew her in. What Donna didn't see as she left was the smile  
that lit up his face. Those few words of praise meant more to him than  
anything. To know that he could move her fuelled a desire to explore  
this issue further.

 

Later that evening

 

The incessant buzzing of her intercom penetrated her sleep fogged brain.  
Stumbling to the door she buzzed up the one person who would be calling,  
unannounced, at this late hour.

 

"Come in Joshua," she mumbled.

 

"How did you know it was me? I could have been some crazy  
psychopath. You should be more careful," he warned.

 

"I just knew it was you." Her simple reply momentarily silenced  
him.

 

"C'mon. Put on some warm clothes. We're going out."

 

"Going out! It's late and it's cold." Donna almost  
whined.

 

"Trust me. Come out. I want to show you something special,' he  
implored, using all the Lyman charm.

 

Donna melted. She been angry and hurt for days but if Josh was trying to  
make amends, who was she to be mean spirited?

 

"Ok, warm clothes?"

 

"Definitely. And don't wear shoes you'll worry about  
ruining." Donna was intrigued now.

 

Wrapped up in a bulky coat, scarf and gloves, she got into the passenger  
seat of Josh's car. Mmm. Heated car seats. A girl could get used to  
this, she thought. They drove in comfortable silence for a while until  
Josh broke the quiet.

 

"You've seemed a little…I don't know…off, the last  
few days and I think I know why,"

 

"This should be good." Donna unintentionally snapped.

 

"You hated the attention I gave to the NASA rep, hated that she took  
me out to look at the stars, hated that someone other than you was a  
source of inspiration for me."

 

Donna was silent. God, he knew her so well. She hated to admit it but he  
was right, particularly the last past. For so long, she had challenged  
and inspired Josh to be the best person he could be, to "do  
good" and the fact that someone else had stepped into that role was  
incredibly unsettling. She suddenly felt insecure in their relationship,  
whatever their relationship was!

 

Josh briefly glanced over and observed her downcast eyes. He kept his  
eyes on the road as he thought about what to say next. " Donna, I  
meet lots of people in this job and it's more than likely that at  
least one of them will suggest something to me that makes me re-evaluate  
the way I look at things. All of us find inspiration in a variety of  
things. But don't ever doubt that you are my main inspiration. You  
inspire me to be a better man, to want to change the world. You inspire  
me to do whatever makes you happy. You're the inspiration for me  
drawing breath. You're my inspiration for being."

 

Donna was too moved to do anything other than reach across and lace her  
fingers with his. They drove on in silence until they were well clear of  
the city. Parking near a field, Josh turned off the engine.

 

"Someone left a package on my doorstep tonight, a telescope." He  
stated, sounding puzzled.

 

"Who gave it to you?"

 

"I don't know. The card was unsigned. All it said was: to help  
you see the future. "

 

"You know you can't keep it. If it got out that a White House  
official received a gift from a NASA employee..."

 

"Yeah, I know. But I thought we could use it at least once."

 

Josh unpacked the telescope from the back of the car, carried it into  
the darkness and set it up. When he was satisfied he had it right, he  
beckoned her over. She put her eye to the telescope. She felt Josh  
behind her. He was standing close behind, trapping her between his body  
and the telescope.

 

"What am I looking at?"

 

"Our future"

 

"What?"

 

"That star – it's our future"

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"I named a star for us"

 

Donna was stunned. She wasn't sure she heard right. Turning around  
to face him, eyes wide, she said "Say that again!"

 

"I named a star for us with the International Star Registry. Wanna  
know what I called it? Josh's voice was tinged with excitement.

 

"Yes," she whispered.

 

"JoshDonna always and forever." He paused, unsure of her  
reaction. Maybe she would think it was too corny. The hesitant look in  
his eyes showed his vulnerability. Had he gone too far?

 

Donna's eyes filled up and she slowly moulded her body against his  
and gave him the most amazing hug. "It's beautiful and it's  
true." He buried his face in her shoulder and inhaled the scent that  
was distinctly "her". "You like it?"

 

"Yes, I do. It's an incredibly romantic thing to do."

 

Keeping his arms around her, he pulled back to look into her eyes as his  
voice took on a serious tone.

 

"See, I said I could bring the woo."

 

"Yes, you can definitely bring the woo."

 

"I meant what I said. Now isn't the time for us but that will  
change."

 

"Can I hang onto that thought?

 

"Hang on to this instead" and he gently, reverently kissed her.  
It was a kiss of promise, of a future they both longed for, a kiss she  
willingly returned.

 

"C'mon, we gotta get back"

 

"Time to return to the real world?"

 

"Yeah," he sighed. They had been in their own little world for  
the last hour or so and Josh didn't relish the thought of having to  
leave it.

 

"Maybe when we need to remind ourselves of what we are, of what we  
have, we could come back here and do some more stargazing?" She was  
flirting with him now, looking up at him through lowered eyes.

 

"You bet," he quickly responded.

 

"Maybe we should buy our own telescope?"

 

"Ok"

 

"Maybe we should ask Alex for some recommendations?"

 

"I'll send this one back to her tomorrow."

 

"What will the card say?"

 

"Thank you"


End file.
